IAC-03-IAA.2.1.06

Re-Engineering the Vengeance Weapons: a Memoir on Jan W.H. Uytenbogaart

P.Th.L.M. van Woerkom

Delft University of Technology Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology Section Engineering Mechanics 2628 CD Delft, The

54-th International Astronautical Congress 29 September – 3 October 2003 Bremen, Germany

For permission to copy or republish, contact the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics AIAA, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500 Reston, VA 20191-4344

RE-ENGINEERING THE VENGEANCE WEAPONS: A MEMOIR ON JAN W.H. UYTENBOGAART

P.Th.L.M. van Woerkom Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Marine Technology Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT To study for rocket engineer, I enrolled in 1961 in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University Much has been written about the German of Technology. There professor J.M.J. Kooy taught Vengeance weapons V-1 and V-2, in particular courses in rocket dynamics and rocket propulsion. He about the design and the designers of the V-2 rocket, was also chairman of the Dutch Society for Space which was preferably seen as the first engineering (NVR), one of the well-known early co-organizers of tool for reaching space. But they were meant to be the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and weapons of war for massive destruction of civilians member of the International Academy of Astronautics and property. Before the V-weapon offensive (IAA). Somehow I found out that Kooy had co- started, Polish underground agents had already authored a book with a certain J.W.H. Uytenbogaart on provided valuable information to the UK and so did topics of rocket dynamics and rocket propulsion with Swedish authorities. During the V-weapon chapters on the V-1 and V-2 "Vergeltung" weapons offensive, first-hand knowledge especially about V- (Vengeance weapons). The book "Ballistics of the 2 system properties, facilities, launch procedures, Future"9 had been published already in 1946. I and firing timetables became urgently needed. As managed to buy a copy from an antiquarian bookshop many V-2 firings took place on the Western coast of in 1961 at the cost of about five US dollar. Yet, who The Netherlands, the local underground intelligence really was this co-author Uytenbogaart? around was called upon by London to At that time Uytenbogaart had already retired from help investigate. the BPM ("Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij"), a The key person in the present saga is J.W.H. subsidiary of Shell. But he had retained his position of Uytenbogaart, engineer and research manager, part-time professor in fibre and textile technology at spider in a web. Results from his investigations have Delft. His office and his laboratory were in the Faculty been summarized in the book "Ballistics of the of Mechanical Engineering, where I was attending Future", which also included substantial results from some classes. I had vaguely wanted to meet him; yet theoretical investigations carried out by J.M.J. nothing came of it... Kooy. It was published in 1946. Documentation and Thirty years later, in 1991, MIT's professor Theodore interviews with surviving contemporaries created A. Postol analyzed the effectiveness of Patriot against the picture of a remarkable, quiet, unselfish, crafty Scud rockets during the Gulf War. In his first public gentleman and unassuming hero. The present paper and unsettling publication on the subject12 he relates may well be the very first one to provide somewhat how the Scud has been derived from V-2 rocket more than a glimpse of the secret life of this technology and then states that the book "Ballis tics of remarkable man. the Future" "contains a highly informed and very detailed description, including engineering drawings, 1. ON THE TRAIL: SOME PERSONAL NOTES of the V-1 and V-2 rockets...". I remember hearing later that the book had also been translated into Russian. These were the events that led to the present paper... And I learned that antiquarians in the USA were In high school I, this writer, was dreaming about offering the book for much, much money. jet-propelled aircraft and rockets, and about the Then, in 1997, a V-2 historian whose family had wonderful noise and explosions they would create in survived the bombardment of The Hague approached war. I designed them on scraps of paper and in my me. In early March of 1945 British planes had carried school agenda during classes. At the prodding of an out a massive bombardment of a central residential part uncle I even wrote a letter to Von Braun, to ask his of The Hague in an effort to destroy stored V-2 rockets opinion about a rocket design that I had put together. and their launch facilities. Through a navigation error Von Braun replied quickly and at length. I felt there were huge losses of life and material, yet no loss greatly honoured by his immediate and thorough of material related to the V-2 rockets. This man tried to interest and from then on I knew that I was going to comprehend the drama and tried to do so in part by be a rocket engineer. collecting data on launch sites, successful launches and launch failures in The Hague and surroundings3. I

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suddenly remembered that "Ballistics of the Future" radio-controlled version of the V-2 launched at contained those data and maps. In our subsequent Peenemünde was accidentally steered into the direction conversations the question arose again: who really of southern Sweden and exploded in the air near the was Uytenbogaart? town of Bäckebo. About two tons of wreckage could Later that year I joined the Section Engineering be collected and was transferred to Stockholm. The Mechanics of the Faculty of Mechanical remains were studied and then flown to Farnborough in Engineering and Marine Technology at the Delft July 1944 for further analysis. University of Technology. It turned out that the These are apparently the three main "packages" of research group of Uytenbogaart and his successors intelligence from the field on the Vengeance weapons. had recently merged with my own new Section. One One package had been prepared before the war; the two of my new colleagues turned out to have been a other packages had been prepared during the flight- student of Uytenbogaart. Soon afterwards I also testing period and contained real data and real came into contact with some former colleagues and hardware. This gripping story is recounted in the books acquaintances of Uytenbogaart. I started searching "The Rocket Team" 11 and "The Secret War" 6. archives. There was now a thin trail in evidence, and However, what about information about V-weapons I was going to follow it – apparently "to go where from the field of combat, from the firing line itself? no one had gone before". And today I would like to Such information would naturally come slowly, in report to you about some of the facts that could be parts, and in even greater secrecy. Indeed, substantial brought to light. information on the vengeance weapons from the field during actual combat would be provided in that way, 2. EARLY SUBSTANTIAL and the central person in the web turned out to be a FIELD-INTELLIGENCE REPORTS highly respected engineer and research manager: prof.dr.ir. J.W.H. Uytenbogaart. The first substantial intelligence report reaching London from the field was the so-called "Oslo 3. V-WEAPON OFFENSIVE FROM report". It was sent by an unknown "German well- THE NETHERLANDS wisher" to the British naval attaché in Oslo in late 1939. Reference was made to many new weapons, In June 1944 the V-1 weapon offensive started. These including rocket-powered glide bombs (leading to flying bombs were being launched from ski ramps in the later V-1 "Vengeance" weapon), rockets (leading Northern France aimed at London. Launch rates grew to the later A-4, better known as the "Vengeance" during the summer. But the Allied breakout from weapon V-2) and the Peenemünde experimental Normandy effectively stopped those launches by the establishment. The report was received by British end of August. Captured documents gave also Intelligence and was studied with interest - but its additional information on the V-2 weapon and how it contents was not taken serious at that time. Could it was to be launched from massive, fixed, concrete be a ruse? And could those strange weapons be bunkers in north-west France. With Allied progress in feasible? It took time to the spring of 1943 before France the V-1 and V-2 threat to London seemed to the British started to become convinced of the have come to an end. At least, such was the Allies' objectivity of the report. hope. The second substantial intelligence report reaching Then, in the morning of September 8, 1944 the first London came from Poland. After the bombing in successful operational launch of the V-2 weapon took Peenemünde in August 1943 most V-2 flight-testing place and its target was Paris. Its mobile launch site activities were moved to the Blizna area in southern was located ten miles south of the Belgium village of Poland. There, Polish resistance militiamen were Houffalize. The rocket impacted in the city of Paris, searching for debris, be it from impact or from 180 miles away. Damage was modest. And in the (regularly occurring) airburst a few thousand feet evening of the very same day the second successful above the target area. Radio transmissions and operational launch took place from the middle of the microfilms were sent to London, to inform about quiet Dutch garden town of , making town observations of tests. Hardware was inspected and dwellers truly believe that Hell itself had broken loose. analyzed in Warsaw by experts, often professors at A tandem of two V-2 rockets made its way upward and the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute. In May 1944 an then across the coast, racing towards London over a entire V-2 landed near the town of Sarnaki, south of distance of about 320 km. One rocket impacted in the the river Bug, in a riverside marsh. The slightly town of Epping, with minor damage. The second damaged weapon was hidden, later taken apart and rocket came down in Chiswick, a suburb of West- parts were finally taken to Warsaw. There it was London. There, damage was considerable. The V-2 picked up in July by a British plane, taken to campaign had truly begun. liberated southern Italy, and from there on to Massive launches of V-1 and V-2 weapons were to London for further analysis. take place from several sites in The Netherlands, in The third substantial intelligence report reaching addition to sites in Belgium and Germany (Fig. 1). But London came from Sweden. In June 1944 a special

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the coastal region of Wassenaar, The Hague, characteristics of the V-2 weapons and about the Rijswijk, Loosduinen and further down to Hoek van launch activities of the responsible German batteries. Holland was to be the main launching area for V-2 The Bureau wanted to receive military details of the V- rockets to London. From other sites in Belgium, The weapons, such as nature and positioning of the firing Netherlands and Germany V-2 rockets were fired at batterys, supply transportation routes and schedules, the cities of Paris, Liège and Antwerp – and to many manufacturing sites, and so on. For these reports a more cities in France and Belgium and to the Dutch broad and active intelligence network was already in city of Maastricht3,15,16. place. However, the entirely new nature of those From December 1944 on, ski ramps for launch of weapons created confusion and fear. Details were the V-1 flying bomb were being constructed all over urgently needed. The Netherlands. This included Delft and the The Dutch Bureau Intelligence then contacted the military airfields Ypenburg and Ockenburg near The local Dutch intelligence through the "Packard" group. Hague. Some ski ramp launch sites were being "Packard" was one of the very active and successful constructed in the town of Wassenaar near The intelligence radio transmission groups in the coastal Hague, but Spitfires quickly took these out in region and later elsewhere in the country. The original February 1945. Perhaps less known is that V-1's role of "Packard" was to transfer meteorological were also launched from the twin-engined bombers information to London by short-wave radio Heinkel He-111 and Dornier Do-217. Air launch transmissions. This role was significantly broadened to would take place at about 200 km from the target, include transmission of a variety of information – therefore above the North Sea. Up to January 1945 including information on V-1 and V-2 operations. the planes would take off from various airfields in Contact with the Dutch intelligence group "Packard" The Netherlands. was established on the very same day that the first V-2 Let us now focus on the V-2 campaign from the weapons were launched to London. Subsequently A.J. Dutch coastal region towards London. Relocatable Houck of the Packard group contacted Uytenbogaart. launch sites were positioned at many locations (Uytenbogaart placed the date in August 1944.) Houck within the city of The Hague and the municipality of had already worked with Uytenbogaart since March Wassenaar. Often right in the centre of a highly 1944, by transferring results from Uytenbogaart's early populated neighbourhood. Clearly the concept of personal studies on rocketry to London. In addition, "human shield" was already in full application well Uytenbogaart had provided advice on the use of before the name reached the headlines in the context equipment, materials, food and medicines for of the later 1991 Gulf War. Mobile launch sites underground agents. would be erected preferably near trees, so as to Uytenbogaart was to play the leading role in the make the launch preparations difficult to detect from coordination of V-weapon intelligence gathering and the air. Even so, any type of Allied bombing would ultimately in the re-engineering of the design and be virtually out of the question, as there might result characteristics of both the V-1 and V-2 weapons. These high direct civilian losses or indirect civilian activities took place at great personal peril during the hardships. entire period of the V-weapon offensive, ending in In total 1300 V-2 rockets were launched from the March 1945. Dutch coastal region towards London. Of those, 1039 rockets were launched from mobile sites in 4. UYTENBOGAART AT WORK The Hague and immediate vicinity. But many launches failed, not only during the earlier test Johannes ("Jan") Wilhelmus Huybert Uytenbogaart period (Fig. 2) but also during operations3,15,16. In was born in Utrecht in February 1897. His father was the coastal region of The Hague 87 rockets failed at an electrical and chemical engineer. He was proud of take-off. Failure at take-off also meant destruction being able to count two prominent eighteenth century of lives and property of those living around the painters in his parental ancestry: Isaac Uytenbogaart launch sites. This too is collateral damage, inflicted (1767-1831) and his son Abraham Uytenbogaart by the launch operation itself. It has been severe. (1803-1865). Furthermore, in early March 1945 the British Air Uytenbogaart had graduated cum laude in 1921 in Force attempted to bomb rockets and launch chemical engineering at the Delft University of facilities in the wooded central park of The Hague, Technology. He had received his Ph.D. degree in 1927, the "Haagse Bos". A navigation error led to also in Delft. Subsequently he led the chemical destruction – not of the V-2 sites, but rather of a laboratory of the First Netherlands Rayon Industry large part of the adjacent residential ENKA in Ede. In 1930 he became Scientific Director neighbourhood. of the Consolidated Rayon Industries (Vereinigte In London both the British Secret Intelligence Glanzstoff Fabriken) in Berlin. He undertook Service (SIS) and their colleagues at the Dutch additional design, construction and operation tasks for Bureau Intelligence (BI) under major dr. J.M. Somer new rayon production facilities in various sites in were extremely eager to learn about the operational Germany and in the USA.

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During his stay in Germany Uytenbogaart had characteristics, and about (the many) launch failures witnessed the frenzy of the nation and its course set with their associated collateral damage. Damage to towards war. In 1938 he decided to return to The housing was assessed. Debris from failed launches was Netherlands. There he found employment with the to be collected as fast as possible, ahead of the certain BPM in The Hague, in its Department of Chemical and rapid arrival of German personnel. The group of Industry. Uytenbogaart involved a variety of citizens, including In 1941 he was appointed part-time professor in police, students, engineers, marine personnel, and synthetic fibre technology and mechanical young men and women. Members of the "Packard" and technology (the latter implying the technology of "Peggy" intelligence groups gave additional support. production and further processing of fibres) at Delft Uytenbogaart was everywhere if he could. He obtained University of Technology, with appointments in the even original launch manuals and launch diaries Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and in the straight from German personnel, through deals Faculty of Chemistry. His work involved all aspects involving trading for gin. of properties, production and preservation of fibres, Debris could be obtained if one were quick and rayons, textiles, and paper. daring enough. There were many launch failures During the period 1941-1945 Uytenbogaart had throughout the offensive. Some rockets blew up while been assigned to the Netherlands Organization for still on the launch site – killing and injuring personnel. Applied Scientific Research TNO ("Toegepast Other rockets climbed up, remained hanging in the air Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek") as director of or scurried aimlessly over the city, then crashed onto its Technical Department. Much of his work at TNO the ground and blew up – killing and injuring civilians. involved keeping engineers and scientists from Or blew up in mid air. Or fell into the nearby North being drafted into military production lines in Sea. Citizens caught with debris in their possession, or Germany, coordinating the development of those displaying too much curiosity by coming too alternative chemical products in circumstances of close to launch sites or debris sites, could and often scarcity, and coordinating the development of new would be executed summarily. They were warned energy concepts for transportation, industrial through yellow posters on display in the general launch production, and home use. Also, he was appointed area of The Hague, Wassenaar, and Hoek van Holland. director of the Central Institute for Industrialization These announced that taking away debris, but also even CIVI and technical advisor in two Dutch Ministries. a close approach to V-launch sites would be punishable Active interest and investigations of Uytenbogaart by death by the bullet. Police records testify that the concerning rocketry dates back to the second part of threat and the executions were real. In the group of 1943, shortly after the bombardment of Peenemünde Uytenbogaart alone, twelve people would die as a in August 1943. However, he stated that his interest result of their intelligence activities. had already been stirred during his years in Be rlin All materials obtained for further study – handwritten where he became aware of German rocket notes, photographs, debris – were taken by experiments dating back as far as 1926. In order to Uytenbogaart to his villa in Wassenaar. The villa was be able to communicate with the Dutch Bureau located virtually right under the nose of the nearby Intelligence in London about his private headquarters of the two V-2 artillery batteries. On top investigations on the subject of rockets, he took the of that, a German spy lived in the villa right next to initiative in March 1944 to establish contact with him. Uytenbogaart managed to keep the nature of his A.J. Houck of the Packard group. He prepared and work hidden even for his wife. In the villa all material sent many telegrams and drawings. was taken to a hidden room in the attic for further Having received the urgent request from London study. The door to this room was fully camouflaged in September 1944, Uytenbogaart had to take a and reinforced by sheets of steel. Even during a house crucial decision. Considering his interest and search by German soldiers the room was not experience in chemical and mechanical technology, discovered. After the war neighbours referred to it as his research management qualities, his many the "Jewish room", in the knowledge that something contacts, his position at TNO, his drive and secret had been going on in the house, in the mistaken integrity, and his sense of moral responsibility, he belief that he had hidden Jews from persecution, yet would indeed be the right person to lead the never informed by Uytenbogaart about his true and investigations. He recognized his duty, his possible perilous activities for the Allied cause. contributions, and the risks involved. He accepted. Uytenbogaart took and analyzed the data and the Now Uytenbogaart would be truly in the heat of it debris and thereby built up a coherent picture of the all. nature of both V-weapons. On the basis of his Uytenbogaart organized and coordinated a large measurements of debris accurate engineering drawings group of active aides that collected information were made by trustworthy staff at his office (e.g., Figs. specifically about weapon system transportation by 3, 4). Often, his staff was not clearly aware of the rail and by truck to the The Hague region, about significance of their drawings and they knew when to exact locations of production, storage and assembly ask no further questions – as Uytenbogaart testified facilities, about launch sites and launch after the war. All information was analyzed and

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synthesized by him also in order to obtain a better 'Fear of Wassenaar' and its surroundings like a shadow. insight into the design, operation and performance Through his daring and professional work his name of those weapons. Findings were then radioed to inspired great gratitude amongst the British London, by Packard or by his own radio transmitter Intelligence. He performed first-class work ... And in the hidden room in his villa. Microfilms and therefore it is important to place these quiet workers ... debris were sent to London through the southern (here, Uytenbogaart is mentioned explicitly) on the route, via the already liberated cities of Eindhoven stage in front of Dutch society. They operated in and Brussels. At the end of the war he presented his silence, so much so that they became virtually complete reconstruction of the V-1 and V-2 untouchable for the enemy. While others were hit and weapons to British Intelligence officers. hurt ... they produced achievements that may be called He also analyzed the results of British pre-emptive truly unique in war intelligence." bombardments of storage and launch facilities and Uytenbogaart has been supported by Ms. L. he advised them about the nature and precise ("Louise") W.E. Böeseken, chemical engineer, born in location of targets for new strikes. This advice was 1900. She was the daughter of the famous J. ("Jacob") especially valuable as the weapons were often Böeseken at the Delft University of Technology, stored, assembled and launched in areas under cover professor in the field of organic chemistry and one of of foliage, and therefore hard to detect. Observed the three former Ph.D. thesis advisors of Uytenbogaart. activities near railroad stations, on roads, and launch Ms. Böeseken was the personal assistant of preparations were also radioed to London, in order Uytenbogaart at BPM before the war and again after that Spitfire squadrons could hasten across the the war until his death in 1964. During the period of Channel to take aim. Needless to say, in spite of the April 1943 through September 1945 she was formally a good intentions of air crews there would be plenty of non-active employee at BPM, but she remained on the collateral damage. payroll. It allowed her to dedicate herself fully to Observing launch activities was never without intelligence work under the direction of Uytenbogaart. danger. There was the well-known risk of being It is known that she was a truly fearless lady, a key shot. However, there was also the risk of rocket figure in charge of coordination and direction of explosion on or just above the launch site. One day various activities related to the V-weapon in November 1944 he was hiding for heavy rain investigations. during observations of V-2 launchings. He saw a V- 2 go off course and approach him. At the same time 5. BALLISTICS OF THE FUTURE: THE BOOK a large truck with personnel and cargo stopped nearby and all "18 soldiers and a Feldwebel" got out At the end of the war the achievements of and scurried away. Uytenbogaart reasoned that Uytenbogaart became known to the H. Stam Publishing hiding under the truck would be his best option and Company in Haarlem, a well-known publisher of ran towards it. After the nearby V-2 impact several technical literature. This company was in the process of of the soldiers were found dead. Uytenbogaart had publishing a series of six textbooks on aeronautical survived and the Feldwebel congratulated him ("Sie engineering (title of the series: "Luchtvaarttechniek"). haben Glück gehabt"), as the military truck had been During the war Mr. Stam was already in contact with crammed with boxes with grenades... (In "The Kooy about the publication of a textbook in this series Rocket Team" 11 this event is attributed to Kooy on the subject of dynamics of rocket motion. instead of Uytenbogaart. However from an J.M.J. ("Johan") Kooy was born in Rotterdam in July unpublished manuscript of J.F.A. Boer the mistake 1902. In 1927 he received the degree of electrical in interpretation is clear.) engineer at the Delft University of Technology. In It is relevant to mention the account14 of major dr. 1936 he received the Ph.D. degree in mathematics and J.M. Somer, head of the Dutch Bureau Intelligence physics at Leiden University. From 1938 on Kooy was (Bureau Inlichtingen der Nederlandse Regering) in co-director of the Netherlands Aeronautical Institute in London in the period 1943-1945. He writes about The Hague, a vocational technical school for training the strong emotions, pioneering spirit and passion of of aeronautical engineers. There he taught in the fields the first group of Dutch secret agents, much touted of aerodynamics, engineering mechanics, mechanical in the media in later years – undoubtedly to his systems, and mathematics. In the second part of 1944 chagrin. Then, he writes that there followed a new Kooy had stayed home with long-duration sickness phase with a new breed of Dutch secret agents, leave. With his home in The Hague as base he trained under his leadership, operating more witnessed many of the V-2 launchings as well as V-2 efficiently and professionally. In this phase the failures. He photographed launchings (some of his "Packard" intelligence and communications network photo's show condensation trails) and material damage plays a key role, under the guidance of the highly to housing due to launch failures. Then he went to the successful "fourth" secret agent Louis d'Aulnis. The central area of the Veluwe to hide from the German Packard group supported Uytenbogaart greatly. Dr. razzias (raids) in The Hague aimed at capturing men Somer writes: "This quiet professor followed the and boys for forced labour in Germany. In a small village on the Veluwe he continued writing his

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theoretical treatise on the dynamics of a rigid body, 6. AFTERMATH on systems with many degrees-of-freedom, on the motion of a rocket as a material point and as a After the war Uytenbogaart relinquished his position as massive body, relative to a flat Earth and to a Director of the Technical Department of TNO and spherical Earth, and on aiming a rocket towards a returned to his former employer BPM, now in the target on the Moon – a visionary topic considered as position of head of the Department of Chemical totally foolish by most engineers worldwide at that Industry. The time had come to help rebuild his time and for a long time after. ravaged country. He took up additional responsibilities, While Kooy was writing his book on the theory of advising various chemical and mechanical industries, rocket motion, Uytenbogaart had also started writing the Patent Office, and the Ministry of Economic a book about the technical results of his own Affairs. And he continued teaching on fibre and textile investigations of the V-weapons. Publisher Stam technology at Delft University of Technology. saw advantages in combining the theoretical Uytenbogaart did not have time for, nor an overriding material of Kooy with the material of Uytenbogaart interest in the promotion of his V-weapon exploits. He on "real rockets with real impact" – literally and hardly mentioned them and if so, then in private only. figuratively speaking. Collaboration was agreed As a result, very few people knew about his upon: the material of Kooy and of Uytenbogaart achievements in those agonizing times. Moreover, he would be merged into a single book. Kooy then used did not continue his work in the field of rocketry. He the findings of Uytenbogaart to revise his own had done what he – in his opinion – had to do for his manuscript. The secretary of Uytenbogaart at BPM, country and for a free Europe. Ms. A.W. Schörn, would cast it into typewritten In August 1947 he was made Fellow of the British form. Kooy also contributed to the analysis of the Interplanetary Society. In February 1951 Queen Juliana electrical systems (facilitated by his background in awarded him the highest order for "especially heroic electrical engineering and physics) and quite and discrete (i.e., wise, tactful) acts of resistance": the possibly to part of the thermodynamic analysis. And military Order of the Bronze Lion. The Ministers of Kooy contributed at least some of the photos in the War and of Marine stated that, through his analyses book – those showing V-2 launch site clearings and and thorough scientific investigations, Uytenbogaart V-2 impact sites in the city of The Hague. "had rendered highly important services to the Allied The book9 was published in 1946 (Figs. 5, 6). Of warfare and the Dutch government". In 1959 he was particular interest are chapter X entitled "The appointed Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau. German robot plane V 1 (Vergeltung Eins)", In March 1957 Uytenbogaart had reached the age for covering 19 pages with seven detailed technical retirement at BPM (Fig. 7). He became director of the drawings and in addition four large technical fold- Industrial Liaison Office in The Hague. In 1961 he out drawings, and chapter XI entitled "The German helped create the national Central Laboratory for giant rocket V 2 (Vergeltung Zwei)", covering 121 Research on Objects of Art and Science, where his fine pages with many technical drawings and in addition former student and colleague Johan Lodewijks became four large technical fold-out drawings. the first director. This elaborate work on rocket dynamics and He died in December 1964, after a long illness rocket design served as a standard textbook on space resulting from an infection contracted during a visit to flight dynamics in many countries in the period after an Asian country. He left his wife J.C. ("Jo") the War. As the British rocket scientist A.V. Cleaver Blankwaardt behind. They did not have children. At his wrote in his 1948 review4: "Surprisingly, the first cremation several moving eulogies were presented: by comprehensive technical work on rocket projectiles representatives from Shell, from TNO, and from Delft; and by his writer-friend Leonard Huizinga. One of the has come from Holland. Our Dutch friends are to be 13 congratulated on the extreme thoroughness with directors of Shell referred to the important scientific which they have carried out their project ... Both and management work that Uytenbogaart had carried chapters (on the V-1 and the V-2) ... include out during the war, and he pointed out that complete descriptions of the autopilots, electrical Uytenbogaart had done so with great personal courage control systems and other ancillary equipment; the and dedication. He was a man of great intelligence and many excellent diagrams included will be of great character, and an impressive personal style. People interest to engineers concerned with such subjects." respected him greatly. The speaker, Shell director dr. L. And in a eulogy17 at the occasion of the death of Schepers, referred to both the official work carried out at TNO during the war and the simultaneous Kooy in 1983, his successor at the Royal Military Academy in Breda wrote: "Im Anfangsstadium des intelligence work on the V-weapons carried out with Entwicklungsprozesses in der Raumfahrt war dieses the assistance of his many couriers and helpers. There are several aspects that give the story of Buch massgeblich". Uytenbogaart special interest and value: Uytenbogaart was called upon to render an essential service to his country and indirectly to the people of oppressed

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Europe. He was already doing his share in his 6. Johnson, B. De geheime Oorlog – verrassende position as Technical Director of TNO. Yet, by onthullingen over de geheime wapens van de Tweede deciding to take on coordination, analysis and Wereldoorlog. L.J. Veen, BV, Ede,1979. (Dutch synthesis of the threat of the V-weapons he did translation of The Secret War.) See chapter Three much more than his share. He pursued those "Terreur wapens", p 122-187. weapons almost without sleep and almost without 7. de Jong, L. Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de rest, and with the greatest ingenuity. Thereby he Tweede Wereldoorlog. Deel 10-b: Het laatste Jaar II, chose to put his own life at direct risk. Also, eerste helft. Staatsuitgeverij, Den Haag, 1981. See Uytenbogaart did not simply perform some jobs chapter 6 , section "Spionage", p 496-512. underground in his spare time. Rather, he had 8. Klee, E. and Merk, O. Damals in Peenemünde – an chosen to make maximal use of his great der Geburtsstätte der Weltraumfahrt. Gerhard Stalling engineering experience and capabilities. It is also Verlag, Oldenburg, 1963. this combination that made his contributions so 9. Kooy, J.M.J. and Uytenbogaart, J.W.H. Ballistics of valuable to the Allied forces. And his book the Future – with special reference to the dynamical constituted the first important source of information and physical theory of the rocket weapons. The and inspiration for rocket engineers outside of the Technical Publishing Company H. Stam, Haarlem, German V-2 community. 1946. A few of those people who knew him personally are still alive today. They speak with great warmth 10. van Ojen, G.J., Jr. De Strijd op Nederlands and respect about this remarkable, quiet, well grondgebied tijdens Wereldoorlog II, Hoofddeel IV: mannered, somewhat distant, and unselfish man. De land- en luchtstrijdkrachten in de periode van mei The head of the Dutch Intelligence Bureau in 1940 tot 1945, Deel 2: De Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten, London, dr. Somer, remarked that during the war Onderdeel A-C, Band I. Staatsuitgeverij, Den Haag, Uytenbogaart [and his colleagues] had worked in 1972. See p 384-385. silence, effectively, and successfully, and in addition 11. Ordway, F.I., III and Sharpe, M.R. The Rocket had the skill to survive the war in that troubled Team. Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishers, N. Y., 1979. country. Dr. Somer said that because of the great 12. Postol, T.A. "Lessons of the Gulf War Experience secrecy of their work the Dutch nation might not with Patriot". International Security, Vol. 16, No. 3, know much about them, but it did owe much to Winter 1991/92, p 119-171. them. With the publication of the book "Ballistics of 13. Schepers, L. Eulogy on behalf of the Royal the Future" the public at large could learn for the Dutch/Shell Group at the cremation of prof. first time about the technical aspects of those Uytenbogaart, cemetary Westerveld, Velsen, 11 Vengeance weapons - and for the distribution of that December 1964. Source: Historical Archives Shell knowledge the public in addition to the engineering International BV, The Hague. community owes much to that master in re- 14. Somer, J.M. Zij sprongen in de nacht – de engineering those fearful mystery weapons: Nederlandse Inlichtingendienst te Londen in de jaren prof.dr.ir. Jan W.H. Uytenbogaart. 1943 – 1945. Van Gorcum & Comp., Assen, 1950.

15. V2Rocket.com. See their website at 7. REFERENCES http://www.v2rocket.com/start/.

1. Boer, J.F.A. "Raketten over Den Haag. Bijdrage 16. Verbeek, J.R. 'V2-Vergeltung' uit Den Haag en tot de geschiedenis van de Duitse V-2 aanvallen op omstreken – inzet van de V2-raketten en de Londen, September 1944 – Maart 1945". Die Haghe verschrikkingen voor de stad en haar inwoners. Jaarboek, Deel 52: 1948/1949, p 1-34. Stichting V2Platform, Almere, 2003. 2. van der Boom, B. Den Haag in de Tweede 17. Vriends, J.H.J.M. "Johan M.J. Kooy". Jahrbuch Wereldoorlog. SeaPress, Den Haag, 1995. See 1983 II der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Luft- und chapter VII "Den Haag 1944-1945", p 219-243. Raumfahrt e.V. (DGLR), Bonn, 1983, p 50-19 / 50-26. 3. Borsboom, J.A.M. Website on the V-2 offensive from the region of The Hague, period September ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1944 – March 1945; see http://www.v2platform.nl. Throughout the investigations much valuable 4. Cleaver, A.V. "Ballistics of the Future – Book information, support and encouragement has been Review". The Aeroplane, June 4, 1948, p 682. received from the Dutch Ministry of Defence (through 5. Hazenberg, F.R., Kenens, A.N.W., van der Krogt, its Central Archives Depot, Rijswijk), Shell W.P., van Lit, R., and Neisingh, C.N.J. Wassenaar International BV (through its Department Real Estate in de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Uitgave Stichting Netherlands, The Hague), TNO (through its Wassenaar '40 – '45, Wassenaar, 1995. See chapter Department Corporate Communication, Delft); "De V-2, Hitlers geheime wapen", p 458-501.

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from K.F.van Eijk, A.H.J. Nijhof and D.J. Rixen (Delft University of Technology), J.A. Borsboom (Foundation V2Platform, Almere), L.J. van der Drift and R.C. van de Graaff (Delft), P.-L. baron d'Aulnis de Bourouill, R. Luijendijk and Ms. W.J. Nieuwenhuysen (The Hague), Ms. A.W. Schörn, H. Wittenberg and B. Tent (Rijswijk), G.D. Versteeg (Voorburg); and from J.P.B. Vreeburg (Leiden).

Fig. 1 The V-weapon offensive in the period from September 1944 until March 1945 (sketch after Ref. 15)

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Fig. 3 One of the sketches by Uytenbogaart of the V-2 main engine, Fig. 2 Launch personnel arriving at a debris site8 derived from his analysis of debris 9

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9 Fig. 5 Ballistics of the Future: dustcover of the book

Fig. 4 General reconstruction of the V-29

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Fig. 7 Johannes Wilhelmus Huybert Uytenbogaart Fig. 6 Ex Libris inserted in personal copies of "Ballistics of the Future"9. (from his personal BPM farewell book, March 1957) This one belonged to prof. C.B. Biezeno, colleague and beacon of light at Delft University of Technology.

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